GRANDVILLE, MI -- A holiday pop-up shop at RiverTown Crossings that sells Confederate flag merchandise among its stock of T-shirts, scented shea butter and 3-D art is generating complaints to the mall's management.

Jim Fryer and his wife, Sonja Schultz-Fryer, longtime Grand Rapids Public Schools teachers, are raising a red flag about the store, 3rd Dimension. They are organizing a protest against the store for the day after Christmas.

"I am aware that this in no way breaks the law, but as a person who works with youth and children, I am concerned about the message sent to them especially when racial issues in our country are so fragile," Fryer said.

Fryer says he is sensitive to what he sees as racist messages as the husband of an African American woman and the father of a biracial son and a Chinese daughter. He and his wife teach at Burton Middle School.

Their complaints to the mall's management resulted in Jon Jaco being asked to remove a T-shirt from the entrance of his shop located near the first floor entrance of Sears. The shirt features the image of a Confederate flag and the message:

"If this shirt offends you, you need a history lesson."

Shoppers want mall retailer to remove Confederate flag merchandise | MLive.com